>On Behalf Of Michael Pollak
>
> Have all of you seen the highlights of the Gore/Bradley debate Live From
> the Apollo? Highlights, you ask? It's great -- the audience goes ooooo
> everytime one of them disses the other or makes a riposte, which is all
> the time. It's great. We should hold all our presidential
> debates there.
> This is what the civic religion needs -- more response from the
> congregation. Anyway, it's on C-Span right now.
It was pretty fun and bloody. Bradley somewhat killed himself, though, when after attacking Gore on a number of points, Gore taunted him on why all the Congressional Black Caucus endorsed him rather than Bradley.
Rather than diplomatically indicating that the Congressfolks were being cautious and going with a safe establishment choice, Bradley actually said the Black Caucus had made their endorsement without bothering to check Gore's record. Gore practically laughed at Bradley and noted that the Black Caucus were "savvy" and not so stupid as to make a blind endorsement. The crowd jeered Bradley pretty mercilessly at that point. Pretty much game over.
Although Bradley did give a good riff on white skin privilege and the advantages given him in the NBA versus better black players. Bradley is one of the only politicians who still uses the phrase, so give him credit there.
-- Nathan Newman